Slovakia Location:
Physical
Slovakia is located in Central Europe, south of the Czech Republic and Poland. It is around twice the size of New Hampshire. The climate is temperate with moderately warm summers and cold, cloudy, humid winters. The terrain is rugged mountains in the central and northern part with lowlands in the south. Natural resources include brown coal and lignite, some iron ore,
copper and manganese ore, salt, and arable land.
Slovakia People:
People
Approximately 5.4 million people live in Slovakia. While Hungarian is also widely spoken, Slovak is the official language. The population is ethnically diverse: Slovak (86%), Hungarian (11%), Roma (2%), Czech, Moravian, Silesian, (1%), Ruthenian and Ukrainian (0.6%), German (0.1%), Polish (0.1%), and other (0.2%). Religions practiced in Slovakia are: Roman Catholic (68,93%), atheist (12,96%), Protestant (Lutheran 6,93%, Reformed 2,04%), Greek Catholic Church 4,09%, Orthodox Church 0,94% and other (4,12%). (Source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, November 2001)
Slovakia Government:
Government
The country is officially known as the Slovak Republic or Slovenska Republika to local inhabitants. Its capital, Bratislava, is located in the far southwestern region of the country along the Danube River. Slovakia celebrated its independence from Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993. Its constitution was ratified on September 1, 1992, and put into full effect on January 1, 1993. The nation is a parliamentary democracy, with its president elected by inhabitants to a five-year term. The prime minister is
appointed by the president. Some active political parties include the Slovak Democratic-Christian Coalition (SDKU), Direction - Social Democracy (Smer-DS), the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), and others. There are eight administrative departments, or kraje in Slovakia.
Slovakia Economy:
Economy
Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The Dzurinda government made excellent progress in 2001-02 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded expectations in 2001-02, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at 17.2% remains as the country's key economic issue. The government faces other strong challenges, especially the cutting of budget and current account deficits and the prevention of a revival of inflation. Slovakia's gross domestic product (GDP) is comprised of: agriculture (5%), industry (34%), and services (61%).
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